Dire Straits

Just the other day, I stumbled across the music of Dire Straits again, and it occurred to me that they have been a bit forgotten amongst the public and music pundits.  I must admit that I myself had got away from listening to their stuff in recent years, but decided to take the time to revisit their studio work.

 

It is easy to forget how "cool" Dire Straits were, in relative terms, up until the mid-1980s. This status appeared to be diminished when they were perceived to have moved away from their earlier sound, perhaps in aiming to engage with a wider audience.

 

They achieved genuine global superstardom with the success of "Brothers in Arms". This album became notable, or perhaps notorious, as the one which untold millions bought in the mid-to-late 1980s in order to initiate themselves into the new-fangled technological wonderland of the compact disc. I vividly recall lunchtime visits to the home of a school friend, in order that we could gather round and listen with awe to the introduction to "Your Latest Trick", in pristine digital quality. The album came to be identified, rather harshly I thought, with safe conformity and the corporate face of rock music.

 

This was all a far cry from the gritty and earthy charms of their first couple of albums. The eponymous debut effort betrays an ethos somewhat "pub rock" in nature, with an impeccable list of other influences (JJ Cale, Clapton, Dylan, Ry Cooder etc). The broodingly atmospheric sound and lyrics draw the listener in, often reflecting the seamier side of life. The expressively brittle guitar of Mark Knopfler is prominent, of course, but is used sparingly and tastefully. Of course, "Sultans of Swing" is the best-known track here, but "Wild West End" is also a little gem.

 

With the sophomore release, "Communique", the sound becomes marginally richer and more varied, though the subject matter remains pretty much the same. The song "Lady Writer", perhaps even more than "Sultans of Swing", exemplifies the appeal and essence of the early Dire Straits sound, although the guitar is captured with greater clarity and bite, and the level of melodic subtlety and gloss are magnified. Of the other numbers, "Portobello Belle" stands out, in some ways pointing the way ahead for the band.

 

1980's "Making Movies" has a more "cinematic" flavour. Indeed, the title itself may have been an acknowledgement of this. There is an increased self-confidence about the band, and this displays itself clearly on the opening track, "Tunnel Of Love", arguably the group's finest achievement. The augmentation of the sound with more keyboards is another sign of this blossoming, and of a desire to branch out and diversify. I have heard it suggested that songs such as this, and also "Skateaway" and "Hand In Hand" for example, owe something to Bruce Springsteen's tunes, and this is hard to dispute, although "Tunnel Of Love" and others are also a logical and natural development of the themes and trends shown on the earlier records. On this third album, the impression which I am left with is more blue-collar romanticism than the almost seedy realism of the first two LPs.

One thing which you have to admit is that Dire Straits did not stand still, and each album has a distinct individual feel to it, and "Love Over Gold" sees an emphasis on longer, more experimental songs. These tracks seem to have worked excellently in the concert setting, though they must have further alienated those who had been reared on the immediacy and gutsiness of the early albums. The band was using the augmented instrumentation to paint pictures and create an atmosphere, the most notable examples being "Telegraph Road" and "Private Investigations". This is probably the "forgotten" Dire Straits album as far as the general public is concerned, as it did not feature much in the way of snappy, catchy hit singles.

I'm not sure whether "Brothers In Arms" signified a reaction to the "excesses" of "Love Over Gold", but the songs are more concise, and one or two of the numbers are more frivolous lyrically. The record is beautifully crafted and produced, and the compositions are generally strong and entertaining, but they have neither the genuine earthiness of the first two albums, or the sweep and emotional pull of the next two. Having said that, it is hard not to like the sophistication and melancholy of "Your Latest Trick", the jaunty "Walk Of Life" or the eerie title track.  It is noticeable how the guitar sound has changed - was this something to do with the types of guitars being used by Mark Knopfler?

To me, the final studio album "On Every Street", which emerged after the band had effectively broken up and taken a sabbatical,  sounds a little tired. Not that the band was going through the motions, but perhaps they themselves must have sensed that the game was up, and that it was time to move on definitively. To their credit, they have not indulged in any big "cash-in" reunions.  The nature of Mark Knopfler's side projects even during the lifetime of Dire Straits perhaps indicated where his musical heart truly lay....

 

Some might contend that Dire Straits at some point "sold out".  I don't subscribe to this notion. Their music never became fundamentally more shallow than it had been before, it just kept evolving and shifting naturally, retaining a certain integrity throughout, and their work was generally credible and sincere.